The invention relates generally to hard disc drives and more particularly to an impact shock absorbing hard drives.
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Hard disc drives are a common source of field failures in information handling systems such as computer systems. Within a hard disc drive are several thin discs, i.e., magnetic media, each having an associated flying head, thus, making hard disc drives sensitive to impact. This is particularly true when the hard disc drive is removable and the impact occurs when the hard disc drive is separate from the computer system.
Upon impact, the heads of the hard disc drive may bounce and contact the discs. The discs may be either broken or scored by such impact. Loose particles may also result from such impact and become free to move around inside the hard disc drive and contact other parts of the hard disc drive thus causing new failures. Furthermore, such impacts may cause shock to the entire hard disc drive housing, not just to the heads.
Attempts to cushion hard disc drives against shock from impact include providing elastomer feet on the bottom or rest surface of the computer system for providing a cushioning effect of the portable computer housing on an associated support surface. These feet serve as friction surfaces to limit lateral movement of the computer system relative to its support surface. Cushioned mounts provide vibration damping but have not addressed the issue of where such mounts should be located to provide maximum protection from impact shocks.
Accordingly, a disc drive system which includes cushioning material positioned between the interior of disc drive housing and a disc drive advantageously provides a removable disc drive system which isolates shocks from the disc drive.
In one embodiment, the inventions relates to a disc drive system which includes a housing bottom, a mounting plate coupled to the housing bottom, and a disc drive coupled to the mounting plate via cushioning pieces.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to an information handling system which includes a processor, a memory and a disc drive system. The memory is coupled to the processor. The disc drive system includes a housing bottom, a mounting plate and cushioning pieces. The mounting plate is coupled to the housing bottom. The disc drive is coupled to the mounting plate via cushioning pieces.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a removable hard drive which includes a housing top, a housing bottom, a mounting plate, a disc drive and cushioning pieces. The housing bottom is coupled to the housing top. The mounting plate is coupled to the housing bottom. The disc drive is coupled to the mounting plate via cushioning pieces.